PM hints Govt to deliver 46% reduction in farming consents
The Government is set to announce two new acts to replace the contentious Resource Management Act (RMA) with the Prime Minister hinting that consents required by farmers could reduce by 46%.
Christopher Luxon says the present government has spent much of its time running around with problems in search of solutions.
He says a lot of stuff has been piling on the rural community and likened it to sitting on the other end of the tennis court, getting 10 tennis balls thrown at you at the same time and you can't hit any of them. He points to the problems of rising inflation, increasing fuel and other input costs and supply chain challenges.
"We have had a situation where fruit has been sitting on trees rotting because orchardists can't get workers into this country.
"You are buried under a mire of regulation and this is coming from a culture within government that is really rooting in centralisation," he says.
Luxon hit out at the expansion of the bureaucracy during Labour's time in office, claiming the addition of 14,000 more 'pen pushers' in four and half years. He also points to what he describes as some dumb ideas being generated by bureaucrats, such as the plan to spend $800 million on a walking bridge across the Auckland Harbour that might draw 3,000 people on a good day.
More than 150 people turned up at Parliament recently to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ).
Biosecurity New Zealand says Kiwis should continue to keep an eye out for yellow-legged hornets (Vespa velutina) over the holiday season.
The Push-Up Challenge, an event which combines mental health and fitness, is set to launch in New Zealand in 2026.
Last month's Agritechnica event led to a wide group of manufacturers celebrating successes when the 2026 Tractor of the Year Competition winners, selected by a panel of European journalists, were announced in Hanover Germany.
According to the latest Federated Farmers banking survey, farmers are more satisfied with their bank and less under pressure, however, the sector is well short of confidence levels seen last decade.
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
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